


Genuinely Delighted

by Chancy_Lurking



Category: Naruto
Genre: Festivals, Fluff, Formalwear, M/M, Post-Chapter 700, Post-War, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:19:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chancy_Lurking/pseuds/Chancy_Lurking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Lee, in spite of how brash he might’ve seemed, still appeared to be incredibly considerate and Shino would feel wrong to just brush him off. His enthusiasm about asking Shino out was completely genuine, and that was enough to make Shino feel flattered. And anyway, Lee would probably prove to be much more pleasant company than some of the other guys Shino knew. "</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to rare pair hell, enjoy your stay.

Shino didn’t normally get visitors early in the morning which is why he specifically dedicated the time to gardening. It was before anyone was up and being noisy enough to scare away the bugs for which his garden was a breakfast spot. He enjoyed their presence, their odd bits of news from down the way; they were always welcome early-morning company. However, it wasn’t exactly unheard of for him to get human visitors as well. Hinata occasionally came to quietly help out with weeding and allow him to adorn her with flowers as a thank you. Or Kiba would show up and Shino would turn the hose on him when he and Akamaru got too rowdy and started breaking things. So having a presence approach his yard just after sunrise and linger there was not exactly startling.

Today, however, he was surprised to turn and find a different visitor.

“Shino Aburame!” Lee shouted, standing politely outside Shino’s garden gate.

Shino frowned slightly, already bracing for some mission assignment to shatter his peaceful plans for this Saturday. “Yes?” he said, standing with a sigh.

“I would like to request a moment of your time!” Lee announced, then added a bit more sheepishly. “In regards to a personal matter.”

That phrasing was enough to give Shino pause. He could hardly recall the last conversation he’d had with Lee, let alone one that wasn’t about a mission or some other pressing issue. That meant, the best as Shino could conclude, that it was either based on a rumor of some sort or Lee was about to ask some uncomfortable questions Shino would most definitely not want to help him with. He considered briefly just telling him he was busy and to go away, but for as little as he knew of him, Lee did not seem like the type to be turned away so easily. It would probably be much simpler to just get it over with before Lee could start to wheedle him. Whatever “personal matter” Lee had to discuss with him, he was certain he didn’t want it shouted at full volume for the neighbors to hear.

“Well, come in then. Don’t yell from outside…” he muttered as Lee bowed in thanks before coming into the yard. He put down his watering can and dusted off his hands. “What do you need from me?” he asked, then stared in confusion at the sudden blush that came over Lee’s cheeks.

Lee coughed, seeming to gather himself to make his already perfect posture even straighter. “As you may know, this year’s summer festival is approaching and the kick-off formal has been set for the opening night!” he announced loudly.

“Yes,” Shino said, of course he had heard. Everyone in the village had heard at least ten times and the date had only been announced yesterday. It was always a big event, heavily attended and – even during the first “formal” night – incredibly noisy. They used to be forced to work it as kids; he was suddenly assaulted by the memory of escorting drunk ambassadors back home for _four hours._ It wasn’t really an experience he would like to repeat and hoped Kakashi has not decided to torture the older shinobi with the task. “What about it?”

Lee put on the bravest face a man slowly approaching the color of a tomato could. He looked Shino directly in the eye and shouted, “I have come to request that you attend with me!”

They stood there staring at each other for a full minute before Shino could even formulate a response. “You…” he began haltingly, “want to go to formal with me?”

“Yes, please!”

Shino’s brow dipped. “Why?”

Perhaps this was just meant to be a friendly outing, but Shino couldn’t figure why _he_ was at the top of this list. Tenten might be rough with Lee, but she would still have been willing to go. Also, Naruto could use the distraction while Sasuke was off soul searching. Shino had no clue how he came up in the top _five_ people Lee could’ve asked to accompany him. However, Lee looked at him like he was surprised Shino didn’t already know.

“Because while you are a classmate I have admired for quite some time for your dedication and intelligence in tandem with your combat skills, I have yet to properly demonstrate this admiration!” Lee answered confidently, grinning. “The only suitable way to show you the extent of my favor is on a proper date!”

“A _date_?” Shino repeated in mildly contained shock. Because honestly, he had gone on exactly one date in his whole life and the girl started screaming when she laid her head on his shoulder and saw a bug crawl out of his shirt. Not to mention, he was certain he had never given anyone – let alone Lee – the indication he would be willing to go out with another man. If it had been any other person, Shino would have assumed it was a joke at his expense. But Lee was nothing if not sincere; Shino doubted there was a cruel bone in his body. Even still, doubt was creeping in on his better judgement. “Seriously?”

Lee nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed!” he shouted then added, still loudly but far gentler, “but only if it would be pleasing to you!”

Shino found himself oddly pleased already, just from being in Lee’s company for these short minutes. It wasn’t that it was an unusual feeling, people _did_ make him happy on occasion – but not usually so quickly or under such circumstances. He wouldn’t really know what to do with Lee on a date, he hardly knew what to do with him _now._ “I hadn't really intended to go,” he offered, averting his eyes.

“I would love for you to reconsider,” Lee answered instantly, crossing his hands behind his back and rocking back on his heels. “But I will not hold it against you if you do not!”

Shino considered that for a moment, finding he believed Lee was telling him the truth. They could still be friends if Shino were to politely tell him no thank you and send him on his way. He might even ask someone else and have just as good – or even better – of a time as he would with Shino. But then again, Shino didn’t really have anything better to do the night of formal. He would’ve _said_ that he did, immediately, if asked by someone else, so the fact that he had not spun that tale for Lee from the start of this conversation, gave him pause to start now.

Lee, in spite of how brash he might’ve seemed, still appeared to be incredibly considerate and Shino would feel wrong to just brush him off. His enthusiasm about asking Shino out was completely genuine, and that was enough to make Shino feel flattered. And anyway, Lee would probably prove to be much more pleasant company than some of the other guys Shino knew.

Something in his body must have changed enough for Lee to notice, because his eyes lit up before Shino even said, “Sure, Lee.”

What was the worst that could happen?

*

As it turns out, the worse that could happen was for Shino to have his dinner interrupted by the legendary Maito Gai shouting and nearly banging down his front door. How he managed to get the wheel chair up the stairs to achieve this, Shino didn’t even bother trying to piece together. He opened the door slowly, regretting the decision even as it was happening, “Yes?”

“Young Shino Aburame!!” Gai yelled, his voice nearly shaking the foundation, scaring off all the insects and birds in a five block radius.

“To what do I owe the visit,” Shino said, wincing, “Gai-sensei?” If Gai had been able to stand, Shino is sure he would’ve put that finger through his face.

As it was, he just pointed accusingly at him, one hand braced on his chair like he was considering launching himself directly at Shino. “You know very well what this is about!!”

“I assure you, I don’t,” Shino replied calmly, in spite of his annoyance. Though he had the distinct inkling it probably had something to do with the other excitable, green taijutsu master in the village. “If you would be so kind as to—”

“I do not believe that for a moment!” Gai shouted over him. “Though you are not one of my disciples, Kurenai is one of the best teachers in this village! I know you have been reared in the just and honorable way of the shinobi! I will not stand for this misbehavior!”

“ _What_ misbehavior, Gai-sensei?” Shino asked, a migraine starting at the base of his neck.

“This business with you! And Lee!! And the summer formal!!!” Gai’s movements were getting frantic enough that Shino was slightly worried he was going to toss himself back down the steps. He tried to focus on that concern instead of the growing embarrassment turning his face pink.

“ _What about it?_ ” Shino bit back softly, glancing around at the people passing by. He wasn’t ashamed of Lee or himself, but he wasn’t looking to have his business dragged up and down the block by nosy neighbors.

Gai’s face was full of righteous fury. “Even you, caught in the throes of your youth, should know that it is customary to ask the guardian before taking their child out!”

Shino’s brow twitched, but he still managed to keep his voice level. “Gai-sensei, you do know that _I_ didn’t ask Lee out, correct?” he asked, then saw the answer for himself when Gai froze mid-shout. “He was the one that asked to go with me.”

“He—! That—!” Gai sputtered, trying to recover his steam. “That doesn't change anything!” he decided, waving his hands. “Even if Lee requested to court _you,_ it would still be polite for the person who intends to _deflower_ —”

Shino shut the door in Gai’s face before he could finish that sentence.

*

Actually, no, the worse that could happen was for Lee to come crashing into Team 8’s weekly dinner the next night, shouting, “Team Kurenai! It has been too long!” His dramatic approach startled Mirai into tears from where she was sitting on Hinata's lap.

“Lee, what are you doing here?” Shino asked as Hinata calmly shushed the baby. He was asking for all of them, but the strange fluttering feeling in his gut told him _he_ was probably the cause of this particular visit. There was only one thing Lee could be here to talk about.

The over-dinner conversation had yet to stray to the formal. So Shino had yet to find the opportunity to ease himself into explaining exactly how he wound up going as Lee’s date. For once, he hoped this interruption was a mission of some sort.

Lee turned to him, frowning apologetically. “A thousand apologies for disrupting your meal, Shino-chan!”

“ _Chan?_ ” Kiba parroted, the shocked amusement in his voice making Shino’s brow furrow even before Kiba could start in on teasing him.

Lee didn’t appear to notice the way Shino was radiating _'shut up'_ , continuing without pause, “I am actually looking to speak with Kurenai-sensei!”

Kurenai put her sake down, smiling in confusion. “Well, you have my attention, Rock,” she said. “What can I do for you?” It was only years of training that kept her from jumping in alarm when Lee bowed forward so deeply and so suddenly that he nearly brained himself on the table.

“I am here to officially ask your permission to take your dear pupil, Shino Aburame, to this season's formal!” he shouted.

Kiba and Hinata whipped around to look at Shino who carefully kept his gaze trained on Lee. He didn't say anything, _couldn’t_ because he could hardly believe this was happening in his real actual life. He was wondering how appropriate it would be to just poof out of the room. Or choke Lee with a carefully placed bug.

Kurenai just blinked at Lee in surprise. “You're asking me if you can take Shino… on a date?” she asked carefully, cutting her eyes to Shino blinking in shock when his face went pink but he said nothing to deny any of this.

“Indeed!” Lee answered enthusiastically. “Gai-sensei has already berated me for my improperness for asking Shino before asking his guardian.”

“Actually, I’m not—” Kurenai started to correct, but Shino’s oppressive cloud of awkwardness was getting a little out of hand. She looked over at him, past the obvious discomfort, and was surprised to detect a hint of restrained thrill underneath it. Pleasantly surprised. She smiled gently, before shaking her head with a chuckle when some of the tension in Shino’s shoulders bled out. She wasn’t going to send Lee racing off to find Patriarch Aburame, she’d spare him at least that much stress.

She wasn’t above fanning the flame just a little though.

“Rock Lee!” she barked, standing up to face him squarely.

Lee snapped into a perfect salute position. “Yes, ma’am!”

“I find your spirit of youth inspiring,” Kurenai said indulgently. “Gai has indeed raised you well.”

Lee was practically through the roof, grinning widely with misty eyes. “Thank you very much!”

She paused, stroking her chin as if in thought. “I assume your intentions with my student are pure of feeling?”

“Sensei…” Shino was glaring now, unable to decide whether his teammates’ suppressing their laughter or Kurenai was a more worthy focus point of focus. But Kurenai was immune and continued eyeing Lee like she couldn’t tell Shino might be trying to make her spontaneously combust, the traitor.

“Of course, ma’am!” Lee answered, eyes taking on a dreamy quality Shino had never seen on the face of someone talking about him. “Shino is a wonderful person and I wish to get to know him on a much deeper level!”

“I’ll bet you do,” Kiba muttered and jolted when Hinata pinched his side even as she bit her lip to hide her smile. “Hush!”

Kurenai kept her expression carefully impassive. “Hmm. Well, I am willing to forgive you for not consulting me first.” She nodded as if just coming to the conclusion. “Anyone who so dearly cares for my student deserves at least that much. I’m certain you’ll show Shino a lovely time.” She smiled a bit sharply, and Shino was embarrassed and touched to find she was half serious when she said, “I’ll have to hunt you down if you break his heart.”

Lee’s whole face lit up with joy. The next time he bowed he _did_ bash his head on the table, nearly knocking over their food. “Thank you, Kurenai-sensei! You are most kind!!” he shouted. He didn’t appear even mildly fazed by the blood trickling down his forehead when he turned to Shino, giving him a thumbs-up.

“I apologize for any problems Gai-sensei gave you!” Lee said, smiling and flushed with joy, a look that made Shino’s heart stutter. “I hope this clears up the confusion.”

This situation was about as clear as mud, honestly. How ridiculous his life had become, less than a week after agreeing to go on a date with Lee. They hadn’t even spoken again yet; Shino could hardly imagine dealing with this regularly. But regardless, he just sighed, unable to deny that some part of himself wanted to know what that would mean for him. If the fluttering in his chest when he saw Lee now would ever stop.

“Of course, Lee,” Shino sighed. Though he didn’t quite smile at him, he did let his face relax out of the mortification it’d tensed into. He stood and pressed a napkin to the scrape on Lee’s forehead. “But maybe be a little more careful next time…”

The way Lee blushed at him was as unfamiliar as it was warming. He didn’t realize he was touching Lee’s chin, holding him still like a child as he blotted his wound, until Lee rubbed his cheek along his fingertips. He felt oddly at a loss when Lee pulled out of his hands, taking the napkin with him.

“Where’s the adventure in that?” he exclaimed gleefully, grinning like he wasn’t holding a bloody paper towel to his face from saying _thank you_ too hard. However, he did bow more slowly this time. “It was nice seeing you, fellow shinobi! Thank you again, Kurenai-sensei!” The look he gave Shino was slightly more lingering, “I will see you soon, Shino-chan.”

Shino just blinked at him, “Yeah…” For a moment, he just stood there baffled – and, oddly enough, _tickled_ – as he watched Lee leave. He came back to reality when someone cleared their throat. He turned to find his whole team, even Mirai with her fingers jammed in her mouth, looking at him expectantly and more than a bit amusedly.

“So,” Kiba said with a smirk, “I didn’t know you were so into g… green.”

Kurenai and Hinata immediately lost their battle to restrain their laughter and irritated fondness immediately chased Shino’s tickled feelings right on out the door with Lee.


	2. Chapter 2

Lee bought Shino a broach. An honest to goodness _broach_.

An atrociously green beetle broach that, even as small as it was, stood out on the cool browns of Shino’s formal wear. He didn’t need to ask why it was that particular shade of green, but Lee happily explained anyway.

“Green is my favorite color, the color of youth!!” he exclaimed, standing beside Shino in his multi-green formal set. “And at the very least, I know that you are fond of bugs! I wanted us to have something in common!”

Refusing to point out that they surely had more in common that just this trinket, Shino looked down at it in wonder. It wasn’t an expensive little thing, but even so, Shino could already imagine Lee standing for hours with a harassed shop keeper to purchase it for him. And really. The green wasn’t _so_ atrocious; especially not now that he’d come to associate the color with Lee. In fact, he thought there was something harmonious about this, the two of them together. Lee standing there grinning – the green dancing grass – and Shino listening quietly – the stoic soil beneath. He almost felt regretful, as he looked down at the little charm in his palm, that he hadn’t thought to bring something for Lee. It was the least he could do, he felt, to accept his gift graciously.

“Thank you, Lee,” Shino said, offering up a tiny smile. “It’s lovely.”

Lee beamed with obvious pride. He motioned at Shino’s chest. “May I?” When Shino nodded silently, he stepped closer and took the pin back.

“I’ll have to get you something as well…” Shino mused almost absently as Lee affixed the beetle.

“There is no need for that! I got this for you because I wanted to!” Lee exclaimed, patting Shino’s chest in the chummy way Shino had never previously experienced.

“I know, that’s not why I’m doing it.” Shino replied, touching the broach gently, the spots where Lee’s hands had just been still comfortably warm. “It’d be even better for us to match, don’t you think?” he asked, knowing full well that Lee’s favorite form of flattery was mimicry. He was unsurprised by the way Lee’s face lit up, pleased and pink.

“If you wish to do so I would be honored!” Lee said. “Actually, I was just thinking about how you and I are complementary! You see…”

As they made their way to the event, Lee supplied them with an almost continual string of conversation to which Shino hardly had to contribute. Lee seemed happy to be able to run a dozen sentences into one breath, and have Shino not only _keep up_ with him, but actually acknowledge what he was saying. Shino was a little surprised at his own ability to do both of these things, but found the act less tedious than he’d thought he might have.

They reached the banquet to find themselves swallowed by a crowd. Shino’s mouth twitched towards a frown at the thought of losing Lee in the throng (the idea of Lee jumping in the air and shouting his name over the crowd was more than a bit bothersome), but was oddly surprised when Lee caught him by the sleeve, smiling at him. He found himself continually glancing down to where Lee’s fingers grasped the fabric of his clothes, not really tugging, as he gracefully – if bouncingly – moved easily along with Shino. It remained there even as Lee greeted (what felt like) _everyone_ with an unwavering enthusiasm that nearly made Shino tired to watch. He opted to silently bow in greeting.

They mulled around for a while until Hokage Kakashi dragged himself through his, mostly-adlibbed-and-reluctantly-given “This Year Has Been Hard, So Have Some Fun Tonight” speech. Shino knew Kakashi could tell everyone was just as disinterested in hearing it as he was in giving it – except perhaps Lee and Gai who were deeply moved by just about anything. Watching Lee now, the brightness in his eyes and the complete attention he gave the Hokage (all the while never letting go of Shino), sent a warm rush of fondness through Shino. Huh. He rarely felt things like that.

Eventually, Kakashi gave an affectionate smile and a dismissing wave and the crowd erupted into applause. There was food and drink all around, but the comradery was more important than anything; an excuse to put on beautiful if underused formalwear and forget the hell they’d all been through just a short while ago, what, with witnessing the edge of the apocalypse and all. Shino was not above wanting that reprieve as well.

Feeling eyes on him, Shino glanced around himself for the source. It only took a moment to spot Hinata in her unusually colorful summer gown where she was standing beside Neji and Kiba, the latter’s arm around her shoulders. She smiled warmly at him, giving a slight wave, like she wasn’t sure if he wanted her to approach him, to allow Kiba to _interrupt_ his “date”. He was just about to set her fears at ease, suggest to Lee that they go over and say hello, when the band struck up suddenly. Another cheer rose up from the crowd, people suddenly running, laughingly, to catch someone’s hands before the chorus started.

Lee had his before Shino could so much as scout out a way off the impromptu dancefloor.

“Dance with me!” he exclaimed, already hopping backwards towards the middle of the madness where Shino could see the unfamiliar dance starting. His hopeful excitement so unbearably bright, Shino couldn’t figure out a single thing to say in the face of it. Lee would be genuinely delighted to dance with him; Shino could see it in his face. He wasn’t quite sure why that knowledge set his insides to swimming, the odd but not entirely unpleasant bubbling in his chest that only Lee seemed to really be able to bring out of him.

“I don’t dance…” Shino said stiffly, but didn’t make any real effort to stop Lee where he was pulling him along. He was already trying to hurriedly remember the steps to this dance, from all those years ago when Hinata had insisted on teaching him – his mind was coming up irritatingly blank. “I don’t even know how to do this!”

Lee’s laughter was lively and happy as he drew Shino to him. “Come on, dear friend, there is a time for everything!” he answered, just as they fell in line. “I will teach you!”

Teaching was much more like _tossing_ in the correct direction, but Shino still caught on quickly enough as he let Lee sling him around, dizzy for more than one reason. They crossed paths with Naruto and Sakura briefly, swapping partners through a turn.

“Dancing!?” Naruto exclaimed laughingly, face flushed with liquor as he swung Shino by the arms. “Who are you and what have you done with Shino?”

Shino took a moment to wonder at that himself, to wonder if he had ever danced in public before; he decided he had not. As he was spinning past Sakura – who whooped and patted his back on the way – back into Lee’s grasp, he stared in wonder and amusement at the unrestrained joy on Lee’s face.

“It is fun, right?” Lee asked, his hand on Shino’s arm as they stepped forward in time.

There was a part of Shino that was still deeply embarrassed by all this. He didn’t get his dark and mysterious reputation by jumping around to quickstep music with bright green lightning holding his hands. But at the same time, Shino was buzzing – nearly literally – with the _fun_ of it all. He wasn’t outright smiling, nor anywhere as ecstatic as Lee, but he could admit he was having a good time. For some reason, he found that hard to say, though. So instead, when the next song started, he twisted Lee around to the other side of the line and spun him through the steps.

It was easier to get into the swing of things, quite literally, when Shino let himself relax a little. Because Lee’s joy was contagious, yes, but relaxing was all the easier when he reminded himself that regardless of whatever fool he made of himself tonight, they had all _earned_ this, the right to enjoy themselves. They’d fought and watched people die for this village; he was allowed to receive the peacetime fun it offered up in return. They’d made it, and their reward was more than simply surviving. Moving across the floor – his friends passing through his hands, grinning and flushed with happiness, _alive_ – Shino found himself getting oddly sentimental. The slight burning he felt behind his eyes didn’t quite show on his face, but he gripped Lee’s hands a little tighter when he was spun back to him. Lee’s smile went tender in understanding; he returned the grasp. Doing his best to let the music pull that feeling through and on out of him, Shino danced with his friends and Lee, whom he was starting to think he wanted to be something else, and had fun.

No doubt, Lee could’ve and would’ve kept it up for hours, but after a few quick paced songs, the music died down just enough to be heard over the murmur of the gathering. Shino and Lee were standing face to face, rosy and breathless out of equal parts excitement and exertion. Though the music was slower, Lee’s giddiness had neither faded nor stopped rubbing off on Shino. He felt a rush, when Lee leaned against him, giggling into his shoulder. It was an intoxicating feeling.

“Yes,” Shino said belatedly, causing Lee to look up at him in confusion at first, before breaking into a surprisingly calm grin.

Lee squeezed Shino’s hands. “One more dance?” he asked. Shino was shocked to find he couldn’t have said it better himself; he actually wanted to stay here, the mass of people be damned.

“One more dance,” he said, letting Lee step closer and put a hand on his waist without any more than a pause in his breathing. They swayed together, the rest of the party becoming white noise.

Even for the semi-romantic nature of the music and Lee’s cheek resting against his shoulder, Shino found their dance to be strangely platonic. It wasn’t often that Shino actively thought about feeling _safe_ , not outside of the context of a mission anyway. But standing there rocking benignly with Lee, he thought that was the best way to describe the feeling. His fingers flexed against Lee’s back, very nearly outright hugging him as Lee hummed along to the music. Shino lost himself in Lee’s grasp, willingly letting the world narrow down to just the two of them. He thought he should feel panicked, or at least _surprised_ by all this, but if he did, it was lost under the stillness that had settled over them.

That feeling didn’t change until he felt eyes on him, yet again, but not nearly as lovingly as Hinata’s had been. Pulled back to the party, Shino hardly had to search to find the village girls, gathered around and talking behind their hands as they eyed Shino with disdainful bitterness. Shino frowned, arching an eyebrow in surprise. Malicious but not dangerous, them.

“It appears we have admirers,” Lee said, sounding as close to disgruntled as Shino had ever heard him and still not at all unpleasant – more like being woken early from a nap than being given stink eye from across the room. Shino realized then that it wasn’t Lee the group was glaring at. “Or… perhaps admiration is too strong of a word.”

“Well,” Shino said shortly. “I suppose it’s only natural they’re jealous of me.” It was a new feeling, being the object of envy. And Shino didn’t quite know what to do with it, though he stood a little taller, holding Lee’s hand firmly in his.

Lee hummed in agreement, lifting his head to give Shino an easygoing smile. “That is true!” he said, then suddenly clenched his fist, eyes going starry. “You _are_ one of the village’s greatest—”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Shino said quickly, before Lee could get into full swing Determined mode. “You’re the Beautiful Green Wild Beast, right?” he said with a half-smile, the ridiculous moniker said in Shino’s careful monotone making it sound even more absurd. “The man who is quite possibly the world’s greatest taijutsu master and easily one of the kindest people in the village, is publically courting me.” He tipped his head slightly, the closest to a shrug he ever really got. “Who wouldn’t be jealous of that?”

For a beat, Lee just stared at him in shock before his face split into a grin so stunning that Shino’s breathing got little funny. They’d stopped dancing.

Lee looked like he might be on the verge of happy tears, but he managed to keep whatever shouting he was fit to do contained. “If it is alright with you,” he said brightly, “I would really like to hug you!”

Shino chuckled. They were already practically standing on top of each other, the sensations of the eyes of jealousy faded under their mutual closeness. Honestly, Shino thought as if scolding himself, what difference could a hug make at this point? “Sure, Lee,” he said, but still made a shocked sound when he was suddenly up in the air, Lee’s arms strong around him as he shook Shino.

“I am having the most wondrous time!” Lee exclaimed, turning in a slow circle before setting Shino on his feet without letting him go. “You make for quite lovely company!” he added with his cheek pressed warmly against Shino’s neck.

“You, too,” Shino replied, feeling dumb, but rubbing his hand up Lee’s back companionably. They stood there for quite a bit longer than Shino really meant to, but he couldn’t say he was bothered. He didn’t even feel awkward when they separated and he still felt eyes on him. All he could focus on was the cool rush of air where Lee’s body had just been pressed against his.

“Shino-chan!” Lee exclaimed, stepping back from him, holding on by his fingertips.

Shino didn’t let his hand slide away. “There’s no need to call me by—”

“Shino!” Lee corrected, with a bright grin. “Would you be willing to go on a moonlit stroll with me?”

That was possibly the tackiest sentence Shino’s ears had ever been subjected to. Even still, he could tell Lee meant them in a genuine way and that made him smile. Also, he’d gone through about five times his normal weekly social exposure level in one night. It wasn’t weighing as heavily on him as it might have if he hadn’t been having fun, but he could still see the appeal of going somewhere a bit quieter. He nodded once, sliding his hand fully into Lee’s. It’d been ages since he held hands with someone, his father perhaps—no, some crying child on a mission. In whatever context, it had been useful, but not exactly pleasant; that was his general feeling on the matter. However, though holding onto Lee in any sort of crowd was definitely useful, Shino had to acknowledge the seeping warmth that spread through him as Lee pulled him away from the party.

“Where are we going?” he asked, after they’d been walking nearly silently. (Nearly, because Lee could turn anything into a major event, even just a blinking owl, and would narrate appropriately on sight.)

Lee stopped, glancing around, then said with some finality, “Here!”

They were far enough away from the festivities, overlooking them from one of the outcrops that lead to Hokage Rock that the sounds of the party came to them muffled. They could look down on the crowd, many still dancing, most standing around with drinks and food, and still pick out people they knew. Or, they could turn and look past Kakashi’s stone face up into the night sky.

“Ok,” Shino said agreeably. “Why here?”

The only reason Lee didn’t jump and toss both hands in the air was because he seemed unwilling to turn Shino’s loose. “Because it is beautiful!” he exclaimed, “and also away from the eyes of our rightfully jealous compatriots!” Shino didn’t have to ask why that was something Lee might want, but still felt a jolt go through him when Lee asked, blushing and uncharacteristically sheepish, “May I kiss you, Shino?”

Shino looked at Lee blankly for a moment. Not because he didn’t understand the question, nor was he really surprised by it – not in the sense of this night anyway. Though there was still the residual shock that Lee _ever_ thought about him, he had almost been waiting for this, even if just to _know_ for sure. Was Lee meaning to be a new, surely close, friend or something more? Admittedly, Shino didn’t know much about the realm of dating, but he was fairly certain Just Friends didn’t normally kiss. Even if Lee was clearly the kind of person to bestow as much love on as many people as possible, something about his self-consciousness implied a different importance. This kiss would mean something to him. It’d mean something to Shino, too. He doubted there was any real significance to kissing – or not – on the first date, in spite of adolescent whispers. And seeing the openness in Lee’s eyes, Shino could tell Lee would not judge him either way. He decided not to judge _himself_ either way; Shino didn’t care what this kiss said about him as a person, he just wanted it.

With bated breath, he tugged Lee close to him. “I think I would like that.”

Lee’s eyes went wide before slipping half closed as he set his free hand on Shino’s side. He chuckled softly. “Then I am sorry I delayed!” he said, then leaned forward to let Shino kiss the smile from his lips.

Shino, who had never been kissed more than chastely on the cheek, found the sensation of another pair of lips against his own as strange as he did pleasant. Lee’s lips were warm and soft against his, not doing or asking much but still broadcasting a heart stopping amount of affection. It made Shino feel bright, like he was glowing right alongside Lee, whom he was certain was celestial. His first kiss was with the brightest start the sky ever lost.

The fireworks that started up behind them only added to the complete absurdity of this night, but that only succeeded in making Shino smile, huffing out an amused breath when Lee rested their foreheads together. The stood with their arms brushing as they turned to watch the fireworks explode overhead. Shino hardly said a word after, lost in the sensation of his own glowing pleasure, letting Lee ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ for him.

When the fireworks finished and the path was lit only by dim moonlight, Shino shut his eyes briefly; He wasn’t quite ready for this moment to be over. That was quite telling for Shino, who usually started to feel the urge to leave outings well within the first hour. Even if he decided to stick around, he usually left with a breath of at least mild relief. Now, he thought it would be a different kind of sigh, tired and longing, perhaps. This was new.

“Lee,” Shino said, then modified when he turned to meet his gaze. “Rock…”

Lee seemed to bubble at the correction. “Yes?”

The boldness Lee’s happiness gave Shino was also new. He took Lee’s hand and, in spite of the flush that covered his face, he unhesitatingly leaned forward and kissed Lee’s cheek. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Tonight was… surprisingly fun.”

Lee grinned at him, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He kissed Shino’s knuckles, “Then we shall have to do it again!”

Shino surprised them both with a light laugh.

“It’s a date, Rock.”

*

There was a bit of coasting after the first date, if Shino could call it that. He and Lee started to spend a lot more of their free time together, even if only a few moments while Shino walked to the academy and Lee walked to start training. They didn’t actually get a lot of solid opportunities to go out for dinner alone, but still, the times they did were as special as the times they didn’t. Shino normally didn’t like surprises, but could get used to _never_ getting used to Lee waiting for him at his lunch break with bento boxes and a hyperbolic story about his day. It was odd how easily he came to expect, even look forward to, impromptu physical contact. It made him happy.

Team 8 noticed first because they knew what they were looking at. Kiba’s eyebrows nearly rose off his face when Shino willingly bumped knuckles with Lee in greeting. Even Hinata looked a little shocked when Shino let Lee touch his face without Shino so much as flinching. It only traveled out from there, slowly the questioning looks became comments. Mostly just curious, but Shino was surprised by the protectiveness that rose in him when they were anything other than positive. He felt the simmering urge to fight anytime someone accused him of finding Lee annoying or dating him out of pity. He wanted those comments _dead_ before Lee ever had the chance to hear them.

He didn’t pity Lee. Lee who had built his own happiness out of struggle and who had become one of the strongest shinobi the world would ever see. Shino did not pity Lee, Shino was constantly in _awe_ of him. Lee had worked too damn hard his whole life for anyone to pity him, he deserved better than that.

There were times, however, where Shino thought Lee deserved better than _him_ as well.

Because even though he tried to remember that this was Lee, who loved wholeheartedly and never held grudges, Shino couldn’t quite forget the disgust on people’s faces when they remembered that he was full of bugs; a literal living hive. He still heard, in the back of his mind, his first date screaming and the words “ _did that come_ out _of you!?_ ” shouted in the middle of the street. He remembered the eyes that fell on him, some confused most judgmental. He remembered gripping the bugs inside him, physically holding it together, because it hurt more than he thought it could when she wouldn’t even let him walk her home.

There are times when, he knew, the unapproachable air he was accused of having would be made into something disgusting and not something mysterious. It would hurt him, but he would stay as straight faced as he always did. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle Lee – who smiled like sunlight whenever they kissed – looking at him as if he were repulsive. The thought itself was enough to make him feel like crumbling.

Lee was so important to him now, _so_ very important. When he looked around at his friends falling in love and thinking of marriages, he realized that he wasn’t outside that group the way he thought he was. He’d found his forever without even looking for it. This thing he had with Lee, even if not as flagrantly romantic as some of the other couples around the village, was what he wanted for the rest of his life. Wanting something that deeply, he knew, was a very good way to get hurt. Shino was not used to protecting himself from falling in love. Now, he was scared to death that he was about to fall and hit something that would break him.

But, of all the things Lee made Shino feel, he made him feel brave, too.

Lee had approached him without a clue how it would go, but still allowing himself to hope for the best. The best being Shino saying yes, and the two of them carrying on as they have.

And honestly, Shino reminded himself harshly, Lee bought him a bug broach on their first date and was acquiring a regularly-updating encyclopedic knowledge of insects. Lee woke up an hour earlier than his already obscenely early alarm, just to join Shino on his trek to witness the mating of an extremely rare bug. Lee was not disgusted by him, he had asked Shino out at least partly _because_ of Shino’s abilities and was ecstatic any time he got to see them. Lee would not be afraid of him, Lee was braver than that and his bravery was contagious.

It was that same bravery that let Shino sit on his bed, bare, with even his glasses set aside for once. It was that bravery that held him still as Lee slowly approached him in the quiet darkness. Lee’s hands were on his face, forcing their gazes to meet and Shino gave him this, let him _take_ this. Let himself see how undisturbed and loving Lee’s eyes were, even as his hands settled on the places from which bugs could crawl. And then, there was Lee, crawling over Shino’s lap and touching him as if he wasn’t gross and Lee was not afraid.

“Dear Shino,” he whispered, still smiling and his hands wandered daringly across Shino’s body.

“Dear Rock,” Shino shuddered back, and then he was falling and falling, but that was ok, because Lee fell, too. If there was a bottom to this, this falling and coming apart together, they never found it. Shino couldn’t imagine an end to his joy at learning the hills and valleys of Lee’s body or knowing what it felt like to be adored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically this is the “end”, but I made an extra bit that someone (see: me) might find funny. I’ll toss it up tomorrow!


	3. Epilogue

Shino was disturbed.

For no reason, trying to relax on his couch, Shino found himself filling with an odd sense of dread. It wasn’t often that Shino felt things without cause, so instead of giving into the urge to chase the feeling off, he thought about it. What had he just been doing? His brow furrowed and he reached for the green beetle in his pocket upon realizing that he’d been thinking of Lee.

Lee had never once caused him to feel dread – weariness, on occasion, but for the most part, their relationship was happy. Exasperated, but happy. They’d made it through the waves of disagreement, learned to recognize the tones of “ _I’m just teasing_ ” and “ _I’m serious, quit it_ ” and “ _It is not you, I would just like to rest_ ”. Shino knew Lee wore the engagement ring – though neither of them called it that, just yet – Shino had purchased for him proudly on a chain around his neck. They were stable and steady, they were happy.

Perhaps it actually was the ring, Shino considered vaguely.

It was a fairly new addition to Lee’s almost completely unchanging wardrobe. The chest swelling joy and pride that Shino felt at the memory of offering it to Lee, the way his lover’s eyes filled with grateful tears was a more familiar feeling. He loved that Lee wore it, that he was outwardly wearing something that tied him to Shino. However, this would be the first night since he’d gotten it that they – all The Guys – would be getting together. They tried to keep up with each other regularly, but this last month had been busy with weddings and children and all sorts of bureaucratic nonsense Shino loathed to have to pay attention to. It’d been awhile since they’d all been in one place. That had to be it; Shino was just nervous about what they would say. Some of them still might not understand they are a couple since they aren’t down each other’s throats all the time…

But when Hinata, after politely yet urgently knocking on his door, walked in looking like she wanted to speak and didn’t know what to say, he went a little cold.

“What’s wrong?”

Hinata waffled for a moment before blurting out, “I didn’t tell you anything because I didn’t hear anything!”

Shino narrowed his eyes, though she couldn’t see it, he knew she could tell. “Ok…”

“The guys changed the time and are meeting up earlier!” she exclaimed in a rush. “Lee is alone with Naruto and Kiba and I—” she moved out of the way quickly because Shino was already sprinting for the door.

Though far be Shino from feeling any shame about his relationship with Lee, he had to acknowledge that Lee’s loose mouth in a scenario most definitely orchestrated by Kiba made him anxious. Kiba _and_ Naruto was a recipe for an embarrassing amount of Lee’s characteristic gushing; Shino was the only filter Lee had when it came to complementing him. Shino wasn’t sure what _ridiculous_ (see: endearing, see: flattering, _see: humiliating_ ) things Lee would reveal if he wasn’t there to pinch his side.

He made it to the karaoke bar just in time to hear Naruto’s voice call out “You mean you’ve actually _kissed_ him?” Shino blushed to the roots of his hair when the woman at the counter smiled at him sympathetically.

“I suppose you know where _you’re_ going,” she teased, motioning him past.

“ _Bullshit_.” Kiba barked instantly, the disbelieving laugh in his voice guiding Shino down the hall.

“Yeah,” Choji sounded off. “Shino hardly even shakes hands…”

“Oh, no, we have kissed multiple times, for it is quite pleasant!” Lee confirmed and then there was the thump Shino recognized as him taking his Determined Pose. He turned towards the sound just as Lee proclaimed, “Every time we kiss I would swear his lips were sweeter than his—”

“ _Rock!_ ” Shino shouted, barreling into the room.

“ _Rock?_ ” Kiba parroted incredulously and Shino realized very few people actually ever called Lee by his first name. Everyone looked a little shocked.

Lee looked overjoyed, “My beloved! I was just saying—” he only stopped because Shino’s hand clamped over his mouth.

“We’re going to have to have another talk about boundaries, aren’t we?” Shino hissed lowly, but he knew he didn’t sound as angry as he should have. He was too flushed and flattered and Lee was still smiling under his hand, the little shit.

“Lighten up, Shino,” Shikamaru said mostly honestly, even though his smile was teasing. “Lee’s just been singing your praises.”

“ _Mmhmm!_ ” Lee agreed before taking Shino’s hand from his mouth, only to dramatically kiss his fingers. “I have not revealed any of the details of our couplings, as promised!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ending made me giggle, so hopefully it’ll at least get a smile out of you! I have a few other ideas for this pairing that might show up later, but that's what I have for now! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought!


End file.
